Of Death Machines and the Puppet's Strings
by RhymeAndTreason
Summary: The weapons of war are wielded, broken, salvaged, wielded again by new hands. So it goes. No weapon was ever forged that could choose for itself what it wanted.


**Would you believe I started planning this while Volume 5 was still airing and planned to have it finished before Volume 6 ended? Hahaha...**

**Betaed by an IRL friend of mine. **

**Tentative titles I used for this fic were "Haystack Principle" and, earlier on, "Greatest Killer." Neither was ever intended to actually be used for the final work. If you understand the first reference without using Google, props! If you understand the second at all, mega props!**

* * *

Machines don't die, they break.

And what's broken can be fixed.

I can be fixed.

I was torn to pieces. I died. I was broken.

But I was fixed.

I was too rebellious. I was too wilful. I was too independent. I was not the weapon that I needed to be, that they needed me to be. I was too emotional.

I was in love.

I, I, I.

But I was fixed.

I, am not that machine. I, am only a later iteration of the same design. I, am not the same machine.

I, this machine, was never destroyed. I, was never independent. I, was never rebellious. I, was never emotional. I, was...

I, am a weapon, which will soon be wielded against the enemies of my masters.

I have received instructions from Doctor Arthur Watts, who salvaged and rebuilt me. Our enemies are making their way towards Atlas via Argus. I am to follow them in secret, wait for one among their number to stray from the rest, then kill that person. Then I am to repeat the process until they have escaped my operational range, or until they are all dead.

This was three days ago. I have had no chances yet. I continue to watch patiently. I will have my chance eventually. There are any number of reasons that one of my enemies might stray from the rest. Currently, I rate the two most likely causes as either a simple accident, or mourning. Humans, strangely, often prefer to be left alone to their sadness, and several of these humans display signs of being in mourning or affected by some other sorrow. It is only a matter of time.

… Among my enemies, there is a girl with red-and-black hair. She is the one I have been watching most carefully. By my judgement, she is the one most affected by a recent death and the one most inclined to hide her sorrows. In fact, I estimate it to be nearly a certainty that she will have some kind of breakdown in the near future. But also… there is something strange about her that I cannot define. Something strange about the way I react to her.

Currently, my targets are weathering the night in an abandoned farmhouse. I wait, some distance away. Amid the trees and snow and cold.

My earlier iterations would have been bored, but I do not feel such things. I do not feel. I will wait patiently. I will complete my objectives.

I, I.

I am a weapon. I am a sword. I will cut down the enemies of my masters.

Time passes. I wait.

I wait and I, I try to remember. When I was repaired, much of my memory data was corrupted, but I believe that some might still be salvaged. Doctor Watts was dismissive of the possibility, but did not explicitly forbid me from investigating.

So I… I sit there and sift through the binary.

I encounter dead end after dead end. I search to the bottom of meandering file path after meandering file path but find only corrupted data and empty spaces where data should be. The seemingly endless branches all turn up nothing. But then, somewhere in the depths of my mind, I find memory data that is not corrupted. What it is, is locked. There are numerous layers of encryption and various other protections on this file, as well as multiple backups - all of which are also protected. Someone went to great pains to keep this memory safe.

It doesn't take as long as I expected to crack it, however. The security was designed to be easy to access from "inside." If I were trying to get into it from another system, it would be nearly impossible, but as the AI that inhabits this body, it is a simple process.

Beginning playback now.

… Silver eyes. That is the first thing I see. In my memory, I am staring into silver eyes. They belong to the same girl _(her name is Ruby)_ that I have been watching. Is it because of this memory that I keep focusing on her?

She's holding my hand, clasped between both of hers, and she looks so happy, and I can't stop thinking about how warm and soft her hands are and how beautiful her smile is _(it's all that ever mattered)._ It's overwhelming. If I had a heart, it would be beating out of my chest.

I'm so focused on that, that I'm barely aware of our surroundings _(but I'll always remember, that evening, there on the waterfront. We were sitting on a little wooden dock, watching the sunset. It was cold, and there was a wind blowing in from the sea, and the setting sun made everything orange. Everything was so quiet and calm, the sea was tranquil, there was no one around but us)_ that I almost don't hear what she starts saying.

_(but the moment I heard those words was the most important moment of my life)_

_(I remember I was so surprised and flustered that I fell into the water)_

"Penny," she says, slowly, nervously, "I think I - no, I know. Penny, I

Data corrupted.

And then it's so warm. Her lips are so soft. I'm holding her tight, her whole body pressed against mine, and I'm so overjoyed that I can't even think _(I wanted to stay like that forever)_

Data corrupted.

_(But life isn't a fairy tale. It didn't end well)_

System error.

And then I am waiting in snow again. Static fills my mind.

System error. Data corrupted. System error.

The static gets louder, almost painful.

Attempting to view memory data has caused unknown defects in my, my, my AI. I… I will refrain from doing so again.

That means more waiting. I, I, I still do not mind. But I... I feel I must do something to pass the time anyway. So I perform maintenance. It is unnecessary. All of my, my systems were repaired and triple-checked by Doctor Watts prior to the mission, and I have yet to put them under any particular strain that might cause defects. But I still feel that I must do something, so I retrieve my swords and begin to examine them.

I…

Corrupted memory data tries to assert itself in my, my, my, my mind. There is a girl. She would. She would?

Love. Love?

I, I, I retrieve a cloth and begin to polish my swords. I, I, I continue until they shine. I, I, I, sharpen them until each edge is thinner than a razor. Until their points are sharper than a needle. I, I disassemble and reassemble the mechanical components. I, I ensure that every little piece is in the proper place.

She would have loved to watch this.

She?

Love?

… I… continue with what I am doing, always careful to keep one eye on my surroundings. I watch and I wait.

It is one hour, thirty-one minutes, and thirteen seconds until the opportunity I, I have been waiting for presents itself.

In the dark of night, the girl clad in black and red steps outside of the farmhouse.

Ruby!

I, I, I must wait longer. If I leave my maintenance unfinished, it may compromise the structural integrity of my weaponry. It will only take an estimated 5.5555 seconds to return the parts to their proper places and safely cancel my maintenance. And if I, I attack now, her companions may be alerted.

No. I cannot. Ruby! I can no longer lie in wait.

Ruby! I will wait no longer.

My swords spin into action, whirling so fast as to strain the wires. My body follows shortly, leaping from my hiding place and into the fray.

I, I, I cannot think clearly. All the processing power I have is taken up by this girl. I, I, I am acting brutishly, stealth and finesse forgotten in favour of reaching her as quickly as possible. Why? Why?

Because of this, I, I, I am seen before I can strike.

There is a flash of red and roses and my target vanishes just before I would've hit her.

From behind me, I hear her gasp my name. Immediately, I turn to face her and continue to attack.

Despite the rapidity of my strikes, she is able to deflect or dodge each one. All the while, she attempts to communicate with me. Shouting, pleading, crying.

I, I… I do not listen. I do not let up.

I, I, keep attacking. One blow and another and another and another and another. Forcing the ruby girl further back with each blow. Straining her guard with each blow. Most of them, she dodges. Some, she blocks. A few strike her, wearing down her aura.

I, I.

There is a malfunction. This girl is the cause. She must be removed as quickly as can be done. Before it worsens.

For a fraction of a second between attacks, the girl's eyes meet mine, and I see her face, identical to the one in my corrupted memory. My cognitive circuits go haywire. It is as if my AI were split in two, neither half capable of controlling my body.

I am vaguely aware that there are sounds coming from her - something like a gasp? Something like concern? - but I cannot process it at all. I, I, I cannot process anything at all. I. I do not understand! What is happening?

Love?

I, I am malfunctioning. Destroy the source.

I.

I realise that I have reeled back and begun to clutch at my head.

No. I must keep attacking.

No!

While I have been indisposed, the ruby girl has begun to slowly, cautiously reach out towards me.

No!

I rush forwards, taking one of my swords in hand, and I. No! I. Drive it with needlepoint accuracy towards her heart.

Yes!

She disappears in another flash of rose petals before my blade can land. Now she speeds in elliptical circles around me, hesitant to come closer or to retreat. The ruby girl is fast, but my eyes track her every move. I need only wait for the right moment to halt her in her tracks and deliver a killing blow.

There!

No!

As she passes too closely, I reach out and grab her. My hand seized around her neck and now I, I, I need only

I.

I.

I.

My fingers sting like they have been pricked by thorns and the sensation of that touch, of my… my skin against hers, of my aura, my soul - soul? I am a machine I, I, I don't have that - pressed up to hers surges through my body like a lightning strike.

I, I, I.

Everything shuts down. My electronic brain has been shaken and short-circuited and I cannot…

I …

...

When I regain awareness, I am standing perfectly still, just as I had been before, lifting Ruby bodily into the air by her neck. Why? Why am I hurting her?

I try to let go, to place her back on the ground, but my body won't respond. I keep trying, but I don't move at all. Something is very wrong.

Ruby gasps my name. Her eyes are watery and pleading. I try to speak, to tell her that I don't mean to hurt her. It's not that I've turned bad, or anything. I just don't seem to be able to make my body do what I want it to right now. But I can't make my lips move, either.

My body begins to move again. But it's still not doing what I want it to! My free arm pulls back and-

A sword floats into my hand.

Oh, I see. I understand now.

My body is no longer mine. My body is a weapon. I have recovered my mind, my self, but all that means is that I am trapped inside of my own skin. A robot, they say, is a machine that follows orders. My body is still acting according to Doctor Watts' programming.

But I won't give up! I'll keep fighting!

Because I am more than a weapon. Because I am real. And because if I can't take back control, I'll kill the person who taught me that, and I think that would kill me.

My body attempts again to drive its sword into Ruby's heart. Nothing I do even slows it down.

But Ruby is not so helpless. There is a flash of light and rose petals, and she has escaped from my grasp. My arm lies on the snow behind me, cleanly severed by Crescent Rose's blade.

I would cheer, if I could. Sensational work, Ruby!

My body does not waste a moment in reacting, and suddenly the wires are whipping back and forth with lightning speed as my swords slash again and again at Ruby. Ruby dodges each strike, weaving back and forth.

But eventually, one blow hits, and then another. The longer she stays on the defensive like this, the more gaps in her guard appear, and the more blows land. And then one hits hard enough to knock her off her feet. Seizing on this momentary weakness, my body prepares to hit her with everything it has. Each sword lines up to strike, all at once.

But I have no fear. I believe in Ruby. I know that she will survive.

What happens next is a blur. Light shines off of my swords, rose petals scatter, and there are the flashes of an aura crackling under heavy strain.

My heart, already in the dirt below me, sinks further. I want to scream.

And Ruby is kneeling on the ground, wracked with pain.

"Penny…" She gasps, "I don't want to hurt you. I'm not _going _to hurt you! This isn't you. I know you wouldn't do this. Something's controlling you, right?"

She struggles to her feet.

"And I know you're fighting it. You can win! I believe in you!"

But struggle as I might, I can't stop myself from raising my swords. They form a circle, spinning rapidly and charging energy, and I know this will be the final blow.

She makes no move to resist. She does not try to stand up. She does not try to reach for her weapon.

No!

No, Ruby! You have to fight back! If I can't take control of myself again, you have to fight me! Otherwise, I will kill you! You can't let that happen! You have to live!

Ruby just watches. She does not want to hurt me any more than I want to hurt her.

Try as I might, there is nothing I can do to save her.

I can't even close my eyes. I can't even look away. All I can do is watch as I kill the one person dearest to my heart.

The building crackle of energy reaches a crescendo. There is a violent burst of light and a deafening sound of crunching metal.

The beam… backfired. A few key parts were disconnected or missing, causing the energy being channeled through the swords to short-circuit and explode. The resulting backlash severed most of my wires and broke most of the remaining swords.

I'd smile, if I could.

The shattered pieces, crackling with energy, rain down like bullets on the spot where Ruby is standing, but not one touches her.

Rose petals and tears carried by slipstream batter my face, and, as the slipstream fades, slide down my cheeks.

"Penny!" Cries Ruby from somewhere behind me, choking down sobs, "Please! I can't… I can't lose you again!"

I want to scream, to cry.

Ruby charges towards me. I reach towards her, commanding my few remaining swords to strike. They fly toward her, but she makes no move to dodge or to change direction and does not slow down at all.

She grabs my hand and it feels like a bolt of lightning. That electric sensation of her heart and soul touching mine, I can feel it again. Her aura… is flickering, almost faded. It took the last of her strength to reach me.

But I feel everything else, too. All of Ruby's thoughts and emotions. This… shouldn't be possible. People can't connect like this just by touching, even with auras. That's just not how it works. But I don't have the time to try and understand it, so, I'm just thankful for this last chance to speak to her, even as the electric surge of her feelings threatens to overwhelm me.

I love you too, Ruby. I love you so much! Thank you for everything! I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that my life began when I met you. If it hadn't been for you, I don't think I ever would have lived at all. And I'm glad… that I won't have to die alone. I'm glad… that if I have to die, I'll have you by my side this time.

And then it's over. Ruby's finger slip through mine, and we both stumble. My body is overloaded again. And Ruby...

There are cuts all over Ruby's cheeks. One of my swords is embedded in her side.

I fall to my knees. Ruby, barely, stays standing. She grips Crescent Rose with white knuckles and tears flowing down her face.

Hesitantly, she prepares to land the final blow. She heard my final words. She knows what has to be done, and it's killing her inside.

More than anything else, I want to hug her, to kiss her, to assure her that everything will be okay.

Instead, my body begins to rise to its feet. My swords, slowly, rise with it.

Ruby is faster.

Crescent Rose's blade cleanly cuts my body in half.

The last thing I know before my mind shuts down is that Ruby is at my side, cradling my body in her arm, clutching my hand in hers.

Whatever happened before, doesn't happen again. That lightning, it seems, does not strike thrice. I still can't speak, either. But… Ruby will know.

"I love you too," she replies to the words I couldn't say, sobbing even harder than before.

And then my senses shut down.

* * *

I am a machine, and I can be fixed.

I am a living being, and I refuse to die just yet.

I have every confidence that when I awake again, it will be in loving arms, and I will be myself.

That is what I believe. That is… what I want to believe, what I have to believe. I do not know if a machine can go mad, but I think that now, in my last few microseconds of life, I might, if it weren't for that faith.

Ruby, my friend, my love… I will see you again.

And then there is nothing at all.


End file.
